Chung King Restaurant Review

: Chilies are the main attraction at this small but popular regional restaurant. Start with a cold appetizer plate with seaweed, peanuts with tiny fish, flavorful slices of beef tendon or crunchy cucumbers. The specialty of chicken cubes hiding in a mountain of red chilies can be intimidating, but it's an invigorating challenge for fans of Szechuan food. Don't miss the water-boiled dishes studded with tingly Szechuan peppercorns or rich nuggets of roasted spareribs with prickly ash and salt. Sizzling rice crust with mildly-sauced chicken, fish or pork provides a soothing counterpart to the sometimes-audacious spice levels. While the pungent flavors can verge on salty or oily, the cooking is undeniably authentic. Even kung pao dishes, often found in more Americanized spots, are the real thing here, with no gloppy sauces to be seen. Fortunately, there’s beer to help cool the heat, although those in the know say steamed rice works even better.